Martin Frederick Bjerrum

June 29, 1935 - July 7, 2012

Martin F. Bjerrum, 77

Born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Martin F. Bjerrum, died on July 7, 2012, at his home in Torrance, California. Martin was born on June 29, 1935, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, to Martin and Selma Bjerrum.

Martin was a quiet yet sensitive man. He was a throwback to a time when people worked for one company their entire working lives. He started as a tool and die maker just out of high school in Argentina the late 1950's, and continued in this profession when he came to the United States. He eventually made his way from New York to California. He worked for Teledyne Relays for 44 years. This is where he met his wife, Elisabeth.

Martin suffered from cancer for roughly 4 years before he died. He bore the disease in dignity, but it also greatly restricted him. He had always been an active man, who enjoyed the simple pleasures in life; His passions included photography, model trains and planes, cooking, motorcycles, traveling and keeping up with all the latest technological gadgets.

Martin Frederick Bjerrum was a modest man, quiet and observant in his ways. He was trustworthy and traditional in his approach to his life and in his relationships. He was tough-minded with the kind of "stick to it" attitude that earned the respect of all who knew him. He was also a man who was meticulous, carefully disciplined, and orderly in virtually everything he undertook. .

His parents were Selma and Martin Bjerrum. Martin was raised in Buenos Aires, Argentina. He was brought up to be self-confident and dependable. These were traits that would serve him well throughout his life.

Growing up in the Bjerrum household was a like most homes. There were good times to be had, but just as often there was a fair share of challenges as well. Martin was raised with four siblings. He had a younger brother, Jorge "Coco", and two younger sisters, Inez and Diana. Martin was constantly involved in activities with his brothers and sisters. Martin and his siblings may have had the typical rivalries while growing up but Martin was always consistently loyal to his family.

On December 4, 1974 Martin exchanged wedding vows with Elisabeth Meyer at a small chapel in Inglewood CA. Compassionate and devoted to Elisabeth, Martin held endearing, traditional values about marriage and family life. He took the responsibility of marriage to heart, giving it his total commitment. He was a source of strength to Elisabeth worked hard to make his family happy.

Martin brought the same traditional values in his marriage to bear on how he raised his children. He was a good parent to them,. He would always listen carefully and think things through before he acted, even when it was an adverse situation. Martin was also a walking schedule, rarely missed a day of work, clocks could be set to the time he would go to bed and out the door in the morning for work. Martin was blessed with One child, Daughter, Brigitte and Stepdaughter, Sarina.

Martin greatly enjoyed what he did for a living. He was a hard worker who expected the same in return from his co-workers. He was skilled at working effectively in small groups and in one-on-one situations as well as handling solo assignments efficiently. Martin enjoyed dealing with concrete ideas and could penetrate any amount of fuzzy information to reach the essential facts. Always able to attend to the task at hand, Martin was excellent at meeting deadlines. He was an efficient worker, one who paid careful attention to detail, allowing sufficient time to complete one task before moving on to the next. His primary occupation was a tool and dye maker. He was employed for 44 years at Teledyne Relays. Martin worked hard to be a team player, doing what was necessary in order to get the job done.

Martin liked to experience things first-hand as well as learn about them. This trait carried over into his hobbies, where he was very methodical in how he organized his activities and categorized things. Since he enjoyed his private time, Martin always tried to allocate a specific time for working on his hobbies. His favorite pursuits were planes, flying cessna planes, building model planes and trains, photography, cooking Italian food, buying the latest technological gadgets,. Martin was content to enjoy his hobbies alone but was also willing to share his interests with others.

Martin enjoyed traveling and taking vacations. Since he was an early starter and had a knack for planning everything, traveling with Martin appeared effortless. He enjoyed researching all of his examined options and applying cost-effective planning techniques. Favorite vacations included Hawaii, Argentina, Alaska, Las Vegas, Laughlin, and mini weekend getaways.

Martin Frederick Bjerrum passed away on July 7, 2012 at his home residence in Torrance CA. Martin fought a brave battle against cancer.. He is survived by his wife of 37 years, Elisabeth; daughter, Brigitte Bjerrum; stepdaughter, Sarina Meyer; brother Jorge (Pupy) Bjerrum; sisters, Inez and Diane Bjerrum; and nieces and nephews.

Commitment is a key word that can be used to describe the life of Martin Frederick Bjerrum. He was committed to living the life of a good man who was both practical and trustworthy. He was committed to the traditional values that he upheld his entire life. He committed himself to being a hard worker who expected the same effort in return from those around him. Most of all, he was committed to those he knew and loved.

Celebration of life ceremony will be held on July 28th at 1:00 pm to 2:00 pm, reception to follow immediately after ceremony at: